Mimi Missfit learns how sex education is taught in the Netherlands with a group of British teens

It’s all part of a bold BBC experiment to see what British teens think of the Dutch attitude towards sex ahead of a new sex education curriculum coming into force here.

In the Netherlands, a progressive attitude towards sex education has been hailed as the reason for the country’s low rate of teen pregnancies.

Research suggests Dutch adolescents are also less likely to sleep around or contract sexually transmitted infections.

The new BBC series, Mimi on a Mission: Sex Ed, presented by 24-year-old vlogger, Mimi Missfit, sees a group of seven teens taking a Sex IQ test, talking about porn and visiting a comdomerie amongst other eye-opening exploits in the Netherlands.

'There's a lack of conversation about sex'

WARNING: Use of this image is subject to the terms of use of BBC Pictures' Digital Picture

Mimi, from London, said: “What impressed me most, was how nonchalant the Dutch teens were when it came to sex education. It was normal for them to talk to their teacher about contraception.

“Sex is going to happen for everyone at some time in their lives. So why not get in front of the issue and talk to children about it before it happens, rather than let them find out about it elsewhere.

She adds: “I feel like we’re missing something in the UK and it’s a lack of conversation about sex.

Filming the five-part series in and around Amsterdam prompted plenty of giggles, debate and just a touch of awkwardness."

Alys, 15, from Greater Manchester, said: “It was a bit embarrassing at the start. I’d flown to a new country with a group of people I’d never met before, and we were talking about sex and masturbation. Once I’d got over the initial embarrassment, it was really good.”

The group went to Amsterdam to learn how the Dutch teach sex education

'Don't let them near your penis!'

Two of the girls rather heavy-handed approach leads Joe to joke: “Don’t let them near your penis.”

It’s all as familiar as windmills and clogs to the natives, though. One Dutch lad says: “We’re very chilled because we’ve already had a lot of lessons on this kind of subject.”

And the teacher says that although there is often a lot of giggling in the first such lesson, it quickly dies down as they talk more about STIs and consent.

Asked why it’s so important for teenagers to have such classes, she says: “It’s important you know how to protect yourself, so you have the information and it’s up to you what you do with it. I’d prefer to say wait until you’re ready for it, and if you’re not ready then just say no.”

Mimi agrees. She says: “I feel like I grew up learning a lot of urban myths about sex. I missed out on sex education because I moved schools, and we don’t have that sort of open relationship to talk about it at home. What I learned was from talking to friends.

“The internet is a fantastic place but it’s also a dangerous place. I think it’s important to get in front of the issue of sex by talking to children about it, rather than them finding out about it from the internet.”

And then of course, there was the genitalia drawing class. It’s run by illustrator Hilde Atalanta (corr) who started The Vulva Gallery online in 2016 because she was so appalled at the number of girls and women considering labiaplasty to achieve the “perfect” privates.

Her idea is to celebrate our differences, and show young people that the bodies they might see in porn are not reflective of the larger population.

Munashe says: “It taught us nobody’s body is the same, therefore you can’t judge yourself for not having the ‘ideal body’ because quite frankly there is no such thing as the ideal body.”

By the end, those who had participated were proudly showing off their works of art.

And they learned one final lesson: a vulva is most definitely not a car.

Mimi On A Mission: Sex Ed, is available as a box set on Friday 5 April, exclusive to BBC iPlayer.